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Virat Kohli one of the best chase masters in the world; his consistency is amazing: Ajay Jadeja

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Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja has called Virat Kohli as one of the best chase masters in the world of cricket, adding that the solidity the former skipper provides to the team is just unrivalled.

Virat played a pivotal role in helping India win the three-match T20I series against Australia in the last game at Hyderabad, scoring a 48-ball 63 that helped the hosts chase down the Kangaroos’ competitive target of 187 to seal the series 2-1.

With his 104-run stand with charismatic batter Suryakumar Yadav (69), it was a treat to watch the two batters go about their task of punishing the visitors’ bowling that had the likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Cameron Green among others.

Ever during the Asia Cup in the UAE recently, Kohli, returning to the side after taking a month-long break from the game to recharge his batteries, was in peak batting form.

“I mean that’s the key to Indian cricket. I mean it’s been that for a while, for a long time. I mean there was a period where Virat Kohli would score runs and if there was anything, MS Dhoni would finish it off at the end,” said Jadeja on Cricbuzz.

“But now with the personnel changing around Virat Kohli, it’s made it easier for him and it’s made it easier for everyone else around him to play at a whole different ball game and the solidity that Virat Kohli provides and for me it’s always been the solidity of Virat Kohli, not the striking ability. That’s why he was a chase master. He is a chase master. He understands the pace of the game.”

Jadeja conceded Kohli might not be the best in terms of striking ability and hitting massive sixes, but his consistency is priceless.

“He may not have the striking ability that a lot of players have around the world and in that Indian team but there is no one else that I know who has the consistency of Virat Kohli,” added Jadeja.

The former Indian batter also highlighted why Kohli is such a fearsome name in any cricketing echelons, pointing out, “So if consistency is what you want, this is your man and he’s not shown it today, he’s been showing it to you for 10, 12, 15 years. It’s just that when you expect him to do what the others do, that’s when the trouble begins.”

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IPL 2025: When and where to watch LSG vs PBKS, head-to-head record

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Lucknow, April 1: Lucknow Super Giants will host the Punjab Kings at the the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday in match 13 of the 2025 Indian Premier League campaign.

Led by captain Rishabh Pant, the Super Giants will head into the game brimming with confidence after they defeated SunRisers Hyderabad by five wickets at their home ground.

Having opened their account in IPL 2025, LSG will be looking to continue the winning momentum against the Kings at home.

Punjab Kings began their IPL 2025 campaign with a 11-run win over Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.

The Kings’ top order includes wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh, opener Priyansh Arya and newly appointed captain Shreyas Iyer. The likes of Azmatullah Omarzai, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh are expected to feature in their middle order. In the bowling department, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal and Vijaykumar Vyshak are their key options. Their opening game win against GT was an overall solid performance where Arya and Iyer set the foundation in the first innings and clutch death bowling by Vyshak secured the win

LSG vs PBKS head-to-head record in IPL

LSG have a superior head-to-head record against Punjab Kings in the IPL, having won three of the four matches.

The last time the two sides met, the former registered a 21-run home victory over the Kings in March 2024

Live Streaming details

Venue: The match will take place at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

When: April 1, 7:30 PM IST

Livestream: The clash between Lucknow and Punjab will be live-streamed on JioHotstar app and website

Broadcast: Star Sports Network

Squads:

Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), David Miller, Ayush Badoni, Shardul Thakur, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Manimaran Siddharth, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, RS Hangargekar, Akash Maharaj Singh, Avesh Khan, Matthew Breetzke, Aryan Juyal, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Akash Deep, Mayank Yadav, Shamar Joseph, Arshin Kulkarni

Punjab Kings: Josh Inglis(w), Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas lyer(c), Glenn Maxwell, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash

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IPL 2025: KL Rahul rejoins Delhi Capitals squad ahead of SRH clash

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New Delhi, March 29: India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul joined the Delhi Capitals squad in Visakhapatnam on Saturday ahead of their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2025 season on Sunday.

Rahul missed the DC’s season opener against Lucknow Super Giants last week due to the birth of his first child with actor wife Athiya Shetty. The couple welcomed a baby girl on March 24.

Taking to X, Delhi Capitals shared the video of Rahul’s arrival and wrote, “You’re loved. You’re ours. You’re home. Welcome to Dilli, KLR.”

In another post, the franchise shared a picture of Rahul in DC’s training jersey and captioned the post, “Let the games begin.”

Rahul is expected to make his Delhi debut in Visakhapatnam on Sunday against Sunrisers Hyderabad after being acquired by the franchise for Rs 14 crore in last year’s mega auction.

The Axar Patel-led side started the tournament on a winning note with a thrilling one-wicket win over Rahul’s former franchise Lucknow. Ashutosh Sharma smashed a 31-ball 66 not out to snatch victory from Lucknow’s jaw with a blistering knock studded with five sixes and as many fours.

After the match, Delhi players congratulated Rahul on becoming the new father by doing a ‘Mother’s Lap Baby Swing’ action.

On his move to Delhi, Rahul termed it both exciting and nerve-wracking for him after last year’s auction.

“This is a new experience for me – joining my fourth or fifth IPL franchise. It’s both exciting and nerve-wracking. Every new team brings uncertainties – how the players will gel, how the management operates, and how the fans will react. But looking at our squad and how the management has built this team, we seem to have most areas covered,” said Rahul.

“There’s a great mix of seasoned players and young talent. I am eager to play alongside some incredibly skilled youngsters and learn from them as well. With players like Mitchell Starc, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav -many of whom I’ve played with before – we have a solid squad. I can’t wait for the IPL to begin.”

In 132 IPL matches, Rahul has amassed 4,683 runs at an average of 45.47. He has also scored four centuries and 37 fifties in the tournament so far after making his debut in 2013.

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IPL 2025: Dhoni should have batted ahead of Ashwin, says Watson

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New Delhi, March 29: Former Australia opener Shane Watson feels that MS Dhoni should have batted ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin in Chennai Super Kings’ 197 chase against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Chepauk on Friday

Despite Dhoni’s late 16-ball 30 not out cameo CSK suffered a heavy 50-run defeat – their second straight loss in the season after losing to Mumbai Indians in their season opener.

Dhoni came to bat at No.9 after Ashwin even when Chennai were reeling at 80/6 after 13 overs. The situation was not ideal for Dhoni to inflict a turnaround but he smashed three fours and two sixes in his short stay at the crease.

However, the move to send Dhoni in the fag end of the innings was not welcomed by many including former players, commentators and fans.

“This is exactly what CSK fans come to see – 30 off 16 deliveries from Dhoni. I would have absolutely loved to see him come up the order. In my opinion, he should have batted ahead of Ashwin. Given the game situation, Dhoni could have played like this for another 15 balls. Over the last couple of years, he has consistently shown that he’s still batting beautifully. I truly believe he should be promoted up the order so we can see the full extent of his skills,” Watson said on JioHotstar.

“From a wicket-keeping perspective, he’s still as sharp as ever—whipping the bails off in an instant. That tells me his game is in great shape, and he’s as well-prepared as he possibly can be. If CSK had sent him in earlier, they would have had a better chance of crossing the line. Of course, the crowd absolutely loved what he did tonight, but if he had come in sooner, CSK might have had a stronger shot at victory.”

Watson was also fazed by CSK’s decision to send Rahul Tripathi to open the batting with Rachin Ravindra while also questioning the batting order of Sam Curran.

“It was disappointing to see certain decisions, like Rahul Tripathi opening the batting. Ruturaj Gaikwad is a quality opener, yet he had to come in later. Even one of the shots Ruturaj played – where he gave himself room against Hazlewood – was uncharacteristic. Normally, he stands still and reacts, but this showed he was under pressure. Deepak Hooda, at the moment, just isn’t up to it; he played each ball as if he was trying to survive. Batting Sam Curran at No. 5 was also questionable—I see him as more of a No. 7 batter,” he said.

“Right now, CSK hasn’t got their combinations right, and they need to make a few adjustments. If they persist with this batting line-up, they risk being exposed,” Watson added.

For RCB, it was their first win against CSK at Chepauk since the inaugural edition of the IPL. Skipper Rajat Patidar’s half-century and cameo knocks from Phil Salt (32), Virat Kohli (31) and Devdutt Padikkal (27) helped them to post 196/7 in 20 overs which their bowlers successfully defended.

With the win, RCB climbed to the top of the standings with two consecutive victories and will next take on Gujarat Titans on April 2.

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